Rotary Africa October 2016

ROTARY AFRICAEstablished 1927 • A member of the Rotary World Magazine Press • October 2016
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4 ♦ Rotary Africa ♦ October 2016
Editor Sarah van Heerden
Administration Sharon Robertson
Chairman Gerald Sieberhagen
Directors Greg Cryer
Andy Gray
Peter Hugo
Anton Meerkotter
Natty Moodley
Publisher Rotary in Africa
Reg. No. 71/04840/08
(incorp.associationnotforgain)
PBO No: 18/13/13/3091
Registered at the GPO as a
newspaper
Design & Layout Rotary in Africa
Printers Colour Planet, Pinetown
Advertising Sharon Robertson
Sarah van Heerden
Tariff card on request at
Subscriptions Sharon Robertson
www.rotaryafrica.com (digital)
Contributions rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Distribution Rotary Districts 9210, 9211,
9212,9220,9350,9370and9400
(Southern and Eastern Africa)
Contact Rotary Africa
P.O. Box 563
Westville
3630
South Africa
Telephone 0027 (31) 267 1848
Fax 0027 (31) 267 1849
Email rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Website www.rotaryafrica.com
The Rotary Emblem, Rotary International, Rotary,
Rotary Club and Rotarian are trademarks of Rotary
International and are used under licence. The views
expressed herein are not necessarily those of Rotary
Africa, Rotary International or The Rotary Foundation.
MEET THE TEAM
From the editor
Sarah
OUR REAL HEROES
Rotary
Africa
magazine
Personally, I don’t enjoy the Olympics as much as I used to.
The Paralympics, however, is my all-time favourite sporting
event. The standard of sport, phenomenal achievements,
discipline and humanity of the athletes coupled with the
stories of the challenges they faced to reach the games,
has led me to believe that these men and women are
the authentic Olympians, the real heroes and should be
recognised as such.
Africa did us proud. Nigeria placed 17th on the final gold medal
table, Tunisia 21st, South Africa 22nd, Algeria 27th, Egypt 30th,
Morocco 33rd, Kenya 35th, Namibia 53rd, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast
69th and Mozambique 76th. This is extraordinary if you look at the
percentages. Africa took home six percent of the medals, the same
as those taken home by Oceania (Australasia).
The stories which stuck with me came from two African teams -
Team Ghana and the Zimbabwean rowing team.
Team Ghana had just three athletes. Its Paralympic committee
could not fund its participation and the athletes had to raise funds
themselves. Fortunately, people such as HIPLIFE artiste Okyeame
Kwame helped with fundraising and the team arrived in Rio in high
spirits. However, they were so cash strapped that they couldn’t
afford to have little ‘Team Ghana’ badges made to trade with other
athletes (a task which would have cost a few hundred rand at least).
A BBC show, The Last Leg - Live from Rio, came to their aid and
gave them 100 badges.
Zimbabwe made its Paralympic rowing debut with the para-
mixed coxed four at the Rio games. The team (Mighty Warriors)
included Jessica Davis, Previous Wiri, Margret Bangajena,
Takudzqa Gwariro, Michelle Garnett and Chipo Zento and was
coached by Rachel Davis.
The team’s story captured the hearts of many Paralympic
supporters and began when Rachel Davis, the determined
coach, decided Zimbabwe needed to enter a para-rowing team
in the games. With the games just around the corner, she called
for aspiring disabled rowers to try out. They apparently trained in
crocodile-infested waters and one aspiring rower didn’t have a
swimming cap to keep her hair dry during tryouts and wore a shower
cap instead. Spectators from across the globe were enchanted by
the determination and dedication of the Zimbabwean athletes and
even donned shower caps during their rowing events as a visible
sign of support.
While watching the happy members of Team Ghana and the
Mighty Warriors being interviewed by the international media, I
was proud of our African athletes. They were the embodiment of
the Olympic spirit. They were poorly funded, not as well trained as
the top competing countries but they still gave it their all and when
they did not have everything they needed, they made a plan and
competed with pride, dignity and humility.
As I watched them compete, I had to wonder how many
Rotarians had worked behind the scenes to send heroes to Rio and
would we ever know about it? Probably not.

JOHN F GERM
President, Rotary International
Message from the
RI PRESIDENT
upfront
ON THE WEB
Speeches and news from RI President John F Germ at
www.rotary.org/office-president
DEAR FELLOW ROTARIANS,
In 1979, James Bomar Jr, the president of Rotary
at the time, travelled to the Philippines as part of
Rotary’s earliest work to immunise children against
polio. After he put drops of vaccine into one baby’s
mouth, he felt a child’s hand tugging on his trouser
leg to get his attention. Bomar looked down and
saw the baby’s brother looking up at him, saying
earnestly, “Thank you, thank you, Rotary.”
Before Rotary took on the task of polio eradication,
350 000 people - nearly all of them children - were
paralysed by polio every year. That child in the
Philippines knew exactly what polio was and understood
exactly what Rotary had just done for his baby brother.
Today, 31 years after the launch of PolioPlus, the
children of the Philippines - and those from nearly every
other country in the world - are growing up without
the knowledge or fear of polio. Instead of 1 000 new
cases of polio every day, we are averaging less than
one per week. But as the fear of polio wanes, so does
awareness of the disease. Now more than ever, it is
vitally important to keep that awareness high and to
push polio eradication to the top of the public agenda
and our governments’ priorities. We need to make sure
the world knows that our work to eradicate polio isn’t
over yet, but that Rotary is in it to end it.
On 24 October, Rotary will mark World Polio Day
to help raise the awareness and the funding we need
to reach full eradication. I ask all of you to take part
by holding an event in your club, in your community or
online. Ideas and materials are available for download
in all Rotary languages at endpolio.org/worldpolioday
and you can register your event with Rotary at the same
link.
You can also join me and tens of thousands of
your fellow Rotarians for a live-streamed global status
update at 6pm Eastern time at the US Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. I’ll be there
along with CDC Director Tom Frieden, other experts
and inspirational presenters, sharing an inside look at
the science, partnerships and human stories of polio
eradication.
It is an incredibly exciting time to be a Rotarian. We
are gathering momentum for the final race to the finish:
to the end of PolioPlus and the beginning of a polio-free
world. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to End Polio
Now, through Rotary Serving Humanity.

Foundation Trustee Chair’s message
TheObjectofRotaryistoencourage
and foster the ideal of service as a
basis of worthy enterprise and, in
particular, to encourage and foster:
First. The development of
acquaintance as an opportunity for
service;
Second. High ethical standards
in business and professions; the
recognition of the worthiness of
all useful occupations; and the
dignifying of each Rotarian’s
occupation as an opportunity to
serve society;
Third. The application of the ideal of
service in each Rotarian’s personal,
business, and community life;
Fourth. The advancement of
international understanding,
goodwill, and peace through a
world fellowship of business and
professional persons united in the
ideal of service.
Of the things we think, say or do:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and
BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all
concerned?
Object of Rotary
The Four-Way Test
what you should know
Join in and show your support for The Rotary Foundation. Here are some ways to get involved:
• Plan a Rotary Day in your community to raise awareness of Rotary and its Foundation.
• Promote projects your club or district is involved in that are funded by the Foundation. Share your photos
and stories on your social media pages using #TRF100.
• Empower The Rotary Foundation to support the good
work of Rotary clubs by making a special contribution.
• Apply for a grant from the Foundation to fund a project.
• Attend the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, 10-14 June 2017.
CELEBRATE THE FOUNDATION CENTENNIAL
Kalyan Banerjee
FOUNDATION TRUSTEE CHAIR
CELEBRATEWORLD POLIO DAYIn our work to end polio, we’ve noticed a disturbing
development: People in many parts of the world
think that polio no longer exists. Even some of our
members, especially younger Rotarians who were
born after the development of the polio vaccine,
assume that because the disease doesn’t afflict
anyone in their country, it’s no longer a problem.
To make everyone aware that this disease is just an
aeroplane ride away, Rotary started World Polio Day,
held annually in October. Over the years, we have
marked this occasion in various ways. Clubs have held
fundraisers or lit up iconic structures in their country with
the words End Polio Now. More recently, we created
live-streamed events featuring prominent public health
experts and journalists, along with some of our celebrity
ambassadors.
This year, we partnered with the US Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which will host
a live-streamed event at its headquarters in Atlanta.
(Taking into consideration different time zones, the
event will be immediately archived so your club may
watch it at a time that is convenient.) Tom Frieden, the
CDC’s director and Jeffrey Kluger, Time magazine’s
senior editor overseeing science and health reporting,
will be joined by other public health experts to discuss
the milestones, promising developments and remaining
challenges in the fight to eradicate polio.
But we want Rotarians to observe World Polio Day
everywhere, not just in Atlanta. In fact, we would like to
see at least 1 000 World Polio Day events take place
throughout the world.
I encourage you to host viewing parties of the live-
streamed event and organise fundraisers. Remember
to register your polio day event at www.endpolio.org/
worldpolioday, where you can also find resources to
help make it a success.
Polio is still out there, even though the number of
cases has dropped by more than 99.9 percent since
1988. We’re almost there, but until the number of
cases reaches zero, polio remains a threat to all of us.
World Polio Day offers an opportunity to share that vital
message with your club and your community.

MUSICAL
MÉLANGEIf you want to know what the music scene in Atlanta
is all about, all you have to do is listen. Centennial
Olympic Park, a short distance from the site of the
2017 Rotary International Convention from 10 to 14
June, is home to an outdoor summer music series,
featuring everything from pop to jazz to old-school
hip-hop. That range of styles is just a taste of the
musical melting pot you’ll find elsewhere in the city
- and beyond.
With a list of famous residents that includes names
like André 3000, Ludacris, Lil Jon and TI, Atlanta has
serious hip-hop credentials. You can hear the next big
thing at spots like Apache Café and MJQ Concourse.
Fans of rock music won’t feel left out in the ATL either;
acts like indie favourites Deerhunter call the city home.
And while jazz aficionados will miss the Atlanta Jazz
Festival - one of the country’s largest free jazz fests,
held in May - you can hear it in several local clubs.
About a 90-minute drive east of the city, music lovers
will find a sort of mecca in Athens. Sometimes called
“the Liverpool of the South,” the charming college town
has had a significant influence on country, bluegrass
and most notably, alternative and new wave music. The
list of artists who’ve called Athens home includes the
B-52s, R.E.M., Of Montreal, Danger Mouse and Drive-
By Truckers. While you’re in town, take in a show at
the renowned 40 Watt Club or at the historic Georgia
Theatre.
– Deblina Chakraborty
Register for the 2017 Rotary Convention in Atlanta at
www.riconvention.org.
Convention countdown
THE LEARNING
CENTER PUTS THE
TRAINING YOU WANT
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
WHERE CAN YOU
LEARN TO BE A MORE
EFFECTIVE ROTARIAN?
GET STARTED AT ROTARY.ORG/MYROTARY
More than 30 music festivals are held in metro Atlanta annually. The AC3 Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival,
Music Midtown, Shaky Knees and SweetWater 420 Fest are among the largest and most popular of these
festivals.

by PDG Andrew Jaeger, Regional Rotary Coordinator
THE STAR WARS
SOLUTIONThere is a new disease that has been diagnosed in
the world, it is really serious and I have even seen
it affecting Rotary. The disease is devastating and
every Rotarian should know about it, it’s not polio,
but it is nearly as contagious. This disease is called
Try-itis.
To explain what Try-itis is, I have to take you to a
scene in Star Wars where Yoda is training the young
Luke Skywalker. Luke is becoming really frustrated with
something that he cannot get right. He then says to
Yoda: “I am trying as hard as I can.”
Immediately Yoda stops him and says: “There is no
trying – You either do or do not!”
Powerful words which if we applied to our lives,
businesses, family and Rotary clubs, we could achieve
great things. Our region has consistently declined
in membership over recent years. Although we do
wonderful work in Rotary and offer many benefits to our
members, we struggle to grow our clubs.
We often find reticence towards joining Rotary and
since we need new members, we have to overcome this
problem.
We have to protect ourselves from this dreaded
disease, become creative and find ways to overcome
the reasons why people don’t want to join a life changing
organisation.
We are all leaders in our communities and in our
businesses, where we don’t try - we do. So why are
we “trying” in Rotary? This word needs to be banned
from our dictionary. We are either going to get things
done or not.
We have a new branding for Rotary and the brand
only means something when our behaviour consistently
mirrors the brand promise. Let’s rethink our beliefs,
our member experience and our actions. Let’s act and
move in alignment with where we need to be. Do our
actions inspire people to look at Rotary in admiration
and think: “I want to be part of this?”
Difficult work? Perhaps, but think of those we
serve. Difficult work with hope beats difficult work with
hopelessness. Isn’t it worth it to improve as a club and
a movement, so that we can become better at creating
hope for others?
Let’s get our act together Rotarians - We have work
to do!
Rotarians: 1 235 100*
Clubs: 35 247*
Rotaractors: 216 062
Clubs: 9 394
Interactors: 465 474
Clubs: 20 238
RCC Members: 204 194
Corps: 8 878
AT A GLANCE
* As of 31 March 2016
DICTIONARY & ATLAS
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USBORNE’S FIRST ATLAS

EDUCATION,LITERACYAND
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
Foundation matters
By PDG Patrick Coleman
Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator Zone 20A South
By definition, The Rotary Foundation is a not-
for-profit corporation funded solely by voluntary
contributions from members and friends of
Rotary who support its mission to advance world
understanding, goodwill and peace.
There are many similar foundations and
organisations in the world. What makes The Rotary
Foundation different and, we believe, “better?”
Integrity - Doing the Right Thing even when nobody
is watching. The Four-Way Test of the Things We Think,
Say and Do ensures that one of our core values is
integrity. It is important to remember that though we
do the right thing even when nobody is watching, the
simple fact is that people are watching!
Our Rotary Foundation is international in scope, but
it is registered in the USA and is therefore monitored by
American charity watch dogs as well as the American
Internal Revenue Service. On 1 September 2016,
The Rotary Foundation scored a 100 percent rating
from Charity Navigator for financial transparency and
accountability, essentially making it the “Best Charities
Everyone’s Heard of.”
Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become
the largest and most-utilised evaluator of charities in
the USA. Their team of professional analysts examined
tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents.
They used this knowledge to develop an unbiased,
objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over
8 000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known
charities.
Charity Navigator does not accept any contributions
from any charities they evaluate. They protect their own
integrity!
What did Charity Navigator see? They saw what we
do!
We know that using Rotary Foundation grants,
Rotary’s 34 000 clubs develop and carry out sustainable
humanitarian projects and provide scholarships and
professional training opportunities that promote peace,
fight disease, provide clean water, sustain mothers
and children, improve education and strengthen local
economies.
We know that The Rotary Foundation is a worldwide
leader in the efforts to eradicate polio through its
partnership with the World Health Organisation,
UNICEF, the US Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
We know that Rotary and its partners in the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative have immunised over 2.5
billion children reducing the incidence of polio by 99
percent and eradicating it from all but three countries.
Rotary has contributed more than $1 billion and many
thousands of hours to eradication efforts.
We know that The Foundation funds the training of
hundreds of peacemakers through the Rotary Peace
Centre programme, which enables fellows to pursue
a master’s degree or professional certificate at one
of Rotary’s partner universities. Through academic
training, study and practice, the fellows become leaders
who promote peace and aid conflict resolution in their
communities and around the world.
We, as Rotarians, know all of this. We have made
it possible through our consistent contributions and
constant over-watch of our Rotary Foundation projects
and programmes. We do this because we want to Do
Good in the World and it is good to know that the world
is watching!
My Rotary Story
I have asked Rotary Foundation leaders in our region
to share their Rotary Stories with us. PDG Greg
Stathacopoulos, District Rotary Foundation Chair for
D9400 2016-19 was the first to share.
My defining moment happened early in my Rotary
career, after I had been taken under the wing of a
seasoned Rotarian and introduced to the meaning of
Service Above Self.
The Rotary Club of Benoni (D9400) went to help
a village with its borehole. The community needed a
building in which to look after pre-school children in the
village. Up to this point, the children were cared for in a
four by three metre tin shack, which was unsuitable both
in summer and winter.
ARotary Village Corp (RVC) was established and my
mentor and I were the club champions for the project.
It was decided that the club would donate the metal
structure for the building and the community would do
the building work. The club provided the resources to
help the villagers to raise the funds to buy the materials.
Every six weeks my vehicle was loaded with
blankets, pots, pans and bags of sugar and rice to
deliver to the village. The RVC sold these goods for a
profit, part of which was paid back to the club to acquire
more stock. The balance was used to buy cement to
manufacture the bricks.
Months later the school was built and the structure
became a community centre for the villagers. This
project showed how a partnership between a Rotary
club and a community makes a tangible difference to all.

Digital directions
by Evan Burrell
FOR THE COST OF A CUP OF COFFEE:
HOW TO WIN WITH FACEBOOK ADVERTISING
Evan Burrell is a 30-something, Generation Y Rotarian from Australia who has made it his mission to tell his Rotary story
in a fun and irreverent way. He joined Rotaract in June 1999 and has stayed an active member of the Rotary family. He
is also an actor, model, professional public speaker, promotional marketer and social media specialist. Each month in
Rotary Down Under, and now Rotary Africa, Evan provides his thoughts and ideas on using technology and social media
in a fun and creative way.
ThereareonlyafewthingsR25will
buy now-a-days: an overpriced
cup of coffee at your local café
or maybe a small pizza and cold
drink at lunch time? What it can
pay for is some advertising which
could revamp your Rotary club’s
entire public image game plan
and help you dominate social
media.
Boosting your page posts and
Facebook adverts aren’t just good
for exposure of your Rotary club,
they can represent a fantastic
opportunity to promote your club and
to attract people who would be unreachable through the
traditional channels.
If you want to know why you should spend a little
bit of money on your club Facebook page by using
advertising, here’s why.
You can use it to promote your membership
recruitment efforts or attract more people to attend club
events such as fun runs or community markets.
You can specifically target your ads or a post with a
wide range of criteria, including location, age, gender,
education, work history and interests. Your campaign
can be as specific as targeting only men over 50 who
have an interest in golf near Sun City or as broad as
anyone living in South or southern Africa who “likes”
music and graduated from university.
Facebook’s targeting mechanism makes it so easy
to find the right people. What’s more, by targeting
only those people who are likely to be living in your
neighbouring suburbs and who have an interest in
your local community, you effectively
focus on just those highly-interested
people.
The Facebook advertising
platform charges only on a pay-per-
click basis, so you’re not wasting
money on uninterested people. You’ll
only be charged if someone takes
the initiative to click on your post or
responds to your ad to explore the
opportunity further. So, basically
if your club has a fantastic story to
tell it is your job to captivate your
audience with that story. Having a
compelling image will also help to
catch the Facebook users’ eye and that is your initial
chance to pitch to a potential audience about your club
successes.
One of the most powerful functions of having a
Facebook ad or boosting a post is to drive traffic to
your club’s Facebook page. If met with engaging and
relevant content, this traffic can be converted into those
beautiful page likes. In turn, those individual page likes
become your own Rotary club fan community.
As fans, they will receive updates from your club
page, including notifications of what your club is up to
in the community, making them the ideal promoters for
your club.
The gist is that advertising with Facebook gives your
club the chance to put the world’s largest social network
to work for you!
So the next time you are about to spend R25, stop
and think that this money can help take your club’s
Facebook advertising strategy to new dizzy heights.
Trust is not a short-term prospect
Inspire action!
www.salvationarmy.org.za

All Welcome
Dial:
Helpline:
Go to www.rfha.org.za for details.
for your nearest site details
Where:
*120*7343#
0800 012 322
Find your nearest site on our MXIT app. Search for RFHD under Apps.
RotaryFamilyHealthDays @RFHD_ZA
• Immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation
• HIV Testing Services (HTS) including:
- TB screening
- blood pressure
- cholesterol
- diabetes
• Provision of Contraceptives
• Additional information for Girls
and Young Women (GYW)
And more...
Time:
12 - 14 October 2016
Rotary
Family
HealthDays
Rotary
Family
HealthDays
Rotary
Days
Family
Health
Lend a hand. Change a life.
.......................................... .
Health
Department:
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
health
Access information and 3 days of
free health services for your community:
Come and get your family's
health checked and remember
to bring your child's
Road to Health card.
A public private partnership
promoting health lifestyles...

BECOME A VOLUNTEER FOR THE
ROTARY FAMILY HEALTH DAYS 2016
Advertorial
In July, Mandela Day highlighted the power of
ordinary citizens to give back. For those of you
who are looking to make even more of a difference,
the Rotary Family Health Days offers another great
opportunity for volunteers to get involved.
The fourth annual Rotary Family Health Days will
be held at sites across South Africa over three days
from 12 to 14 October. Members of underprivileged
communities will have access to vital basic health care,
including free health screenings and immunisations.
Months of preparation go into making this event a
success and it couldn’t happen without the contribution
of many dedicated volunteers.
Rotary is well-known as the world’s largest volunteer
service organisation. The story of Rotary Family Health
Days goes back to one Rotarian, Marion Bunch, who
lost her son to AIDS in 1994. Determined to turn her
grief into a positive force for change, Marion founded
Rotarians for Family Health and Aids Prevention
(RFHA) in 2004.
In 2013, RFHA launched the first Rotary Family
Health Days event in South Africa and two years
later, the South African National Department of Health
incorporated RFHD in its annual programme of
activities.
Rotary Family Health Days 2016 will be an
example of a public/private partnership at its best. The
logistics for the sites will be provided by the National
Department of Health with support from Rotary
volunteers. Sponsorship has been secured from Gilead,
a California-based biopharmaceutical company, while
media support will be provided by the SABC, Caxton,
Independent Newspapers and Media24.
As part of the National Department of Health’s
strategic plan, this year will see an emphasis on
adolescent girls and young women in order to fast track
efforts to empower young people. High incidence of
HIV among young women and girls is compounded by
high levels of teenage pregnancy, school dropout and
gender based violence.
These statistics are more serious in areas where
there are limited economic opportunities for young
people.
To be involved in the Rotary Family Health Days, go
to rfha.org.za and click on How to volunteer, complete
the form and you will be contacted.
Marion Bunch lost her son to AIDS in 1994 and 10 years later, she founded Rotarians for Family Health
and Aids Prevention (RFHA). In 2013, RFHA launched the first Rotary Family Health Days in South Africa.

by jonathan w rosen
photography by mussa uwitonze
Surgeons from India bring relief to
underserved patients in Rwanda
BORDERS
HEALING
WITHOUT

Hundreds of people gather in an open-air
courtyard at University Central Hospital
in Kigali, Rwanda. Men in suits, women in
flowered dresses, even prisoners in pink
and orange gowns are waiting to find out if
they will receive medical care. Some have
no visible signs of injury. Others arrived
on crutches, with arms in slings or with
catheters protruding from their clothing.
Several have swollen, broken limbs:
injuries that should have been mended
long ago but were neglected because of
the country’s long surgical-ward backlog or
simply poverty.
Emmanuel Mugatyawe (36) sits on the
ground as a friend fills out his yellow admissions
form. He has been waiting two months for an
operation to repair a broken leg – now infected
– that he sustained when a car ploughed into
his motorbike.
“These are not routine cases; there are very
few fresh injuries,” said Shashank Karvekar,
an orthopaedic surgeon and member of the
Rotary Club of Solapur (D3132, India) after
he and his Rwandan colleague Joel Bikoroti
examine several dozen patients, scheduling
many for surgery. Over the next eight days, a
team of 18 specialised doctors (12 of whom
are Rotarians) will perform surgeries on 268
Rwandan patients, including procedures in
orthopaedics and urology. The trip, initiated
by District 3080 (India) and hosted by District
9150 (Central Africa), is funded by The Rotary
Foundation with support from the Rwandan
government. It’s the fourth medical mission to
Rwanda that the two districts have organised
since 2012. This time, among the volunteers is
KR Ravindran, the first sitting RI president to
take part in the mission.
A few buildings down on the University
Central Hospital’s campus (referred to as
CHUK), Rajendra Saboo, 1991/92 Rotary
International president, is busy coordinating
the last-minute logistics of the mission. The
82-year-old from Chandigarh, India, has
done this many times. After finishing a post-
presidential term on the Board of Trustees,
Saboo and his wife, Usha, began to look for
ways to participate in the type of hands-on
service they had long encouraged from their
fellow Rotarians.
They wanted to help India, a country that
often receives outside assistance, make a
stronger global contribution. It didn’t take long
for Saboo to focus on medicine. He found that
many local doctors had trained or worked in
limited-resource settings similar to what they
would find in Africa. “Our doctors are medically
very strong,” Saboo explained. “And because
India also does not have infrastructure of the
highest level, they’ve learned how to innovate.”
Saboo’s first mission, to Uganda, took place
in 1998 and focused on cataract surgeries and
corrective operations to help disabled polio
survivors. Organised with Rajiv Pradhan, a
pathologist and past governor of District 3130,
it consisted of doctors from Saboo’s district
(D3080) and Pradhan’s.
Today, Saboo recalls the mission as a life-
altering experience - one so successful that the
two soon arranged a trip to Ethiopia. That visit
marked the start of an 18-year partnership that
has brought more than three dozen surgical
missions to 12 African countries, as well as
Cambodia and six of India’s least developed
states. Over time, the missions have increased
in frequency to four per year, while adding
specialties such as plastic surgery, urology and
gynaecology. Saboo has been on almost every
trip. “Raja Saboo is absolutely full of energy,?”
said Pradhan. “He’s constantly thinking of new
ways to support medical missions. Even at this
age, he’s working 12 hours a day.?”
Rwanda, a compact central African country
with mountainous topography that often draws
comparisons to Switzerland, is perhaps best-
known for its darkest moment: the slaughter of
up to a million citizens, mostly members of the
Tutsi minority, in the 1994 genocide. Twenty-
two years later, it’s one of the fastest-growing
economies in Africa. Kigali, its capital, is
among the tidiest cities on the continent. Since
1994, life expectancy has more than doubled
in Rwanda while maternal and child mortality
rates have fallen.
Rwanda still faces public health challenges,
however. Access to surgery is among them.
According to The Lancet, an estimated five
billion people, including nine out of 10 residents
of lower and middle-income countries, do not
have access to “safe, affordable surgical and
anaesthesia care when needed.” In these
countries, the British medical journal notes,
143 million additional surgical procedures are
needed every year. Although most Rwandans
are covered by national health insurance,
which gives them access to low-cost care,
many people living in rural areas cannot afford
to get to a public health facility. Moreover,
surgery is only available in five of the country’s
public hospitals and many patients must wait to
be referred from local health centres or district-
level facilities.
Aside from a minority of patients who can
afford private care, complex cases wind up at
one of two public hospitals in Kigali: CHUK and
Rwanda Military Hospital, which also hosted
doctors from the mission. A persistent shortage
of surgeons means there’s typically a long
waiting list. According to Faustin Ntirenganya,
who heads the department of surgery at CHUK,
the hospital employs just 10 surgeons and
three anaesthesiologists – a staffing shortage
that, at times, means a backlog of up to 1 000
cases. Despite a growing number of surgical
residents at Rwanda’s national university,
the lure of better-paying jobs abroad makes
retaining specialists difficult, Ntirenganya said.
“Our biggest challenge is numbers,” he said.
“Our limited team cannot handle the needs of
the whole population.”
The Rotary mission helps meet the high

Clockwise from top left:
Orthopaedic surgeon
Shashank Karvekar and
anaesthesiologist Seema
Waidande examine a
patient’s file at Kigali’s
University Central Hospital.
Doctors talk with Joseph
Dusabe, who was injured
in a motorbike accident,
before surgery on his
knee. Mission doctors and
volunteers, including Past
RI President KR Ravindran
(far left), outside Rwanda
Military Hospital. Waidande
and a Rwandan colleague
administer anaesthesia.

Clockwise from top left:
KR Ravindran, the first
sitting Rotary president to
take part in the mission,
assisting a patient. Doctors
performed more than
300 surgeries in eight
days. Waidande and a
colleague prepare a patient
for anaesthesia. Past
RI Presidents Rajendra
Saboo and Ravindran, their
wives, mission doctors and
local Rotarians pose with
Rwandan President Paul
Kagame (back row, sixth
from left).

demand. In four trips to Rwanda, Saboo’s teams have conducted
nearly 900 surgeries. For some patients, the mission represents
a final chance. Michel Bizimungu, who had been out of work since
rupturing a patellar tendon playing soccer last October, was told
his case could be handled only at Rwanda’s top private hospital,
at a price far beyond his means as a cleaner. Then his case
was referred to Asit Chidgupkar, an orthopaedic surgeon and
member of the Rotary Club of Solapur. Although Chidgupkar had
never encountered this specific injury and CHUK lacked some
needed equipment, including biodegradable screws and suture
anchors, Chidgupkar devised a plan. The next day, in a four-
hour procedure involving three separate incisions, he repaired
Bizimungu’s knee. Chidgupkar called the procedure an “absolute
improvisation” and later presented the case at an orthopaedic
conference in India. He keeps in touch with Bizimungu, who
updates him periodically on his recovery. “It’s one of my most
memorable cases,” he said.
The mission also provides training. Mission doctors teach
cutting-edge surgical techniques to local physicians, medical
students and residents. During surgery, the visiting doctors
demonstrate techniques and learn from host country doctors.
Bosco Mugabo, a fourth-year resident in surgery at the University
of Rwanda who assisted Chidgupkar with Bizimungu’s operation,
said the opportunity was invaluable. “There are some tricks and
hints that you don’t learn from school,” he said. “You learn them
from a specific surgeon.”
With this in mind, Saboo worked with local health authorities
to slightly modify the Rwanda mission. At a dinner in Kigali, he
announced plans to invite 10 Rwandan doctors to India for three-
month stints of training there - part of an effort to boost local
capacity in a more sustainable manner. The next mission to
Rwanda will also be smaller and focus more on teaching two in-
demand specialties: reconstructive urology and anaesthesiology.
In addition, 20 Rwandan children will undergo open-heart
surgery in Saboo’s home city of Chandigarh. With travel funds
from the Rwandan Ministry of Health, 30 Rwandan children have
already received such operations there. According to Emmanuel
Rusingiza, one of only two paediatric cardiologists in Rwanda, the
country’s high rate of rheumatic heart disease, which generally
results from untreated cases of strep throat, means the country
has a waiting list of more than 150 children. “A large number of
them are passing away,” he said. “It’s a very difficult situation.”
As the mission in Kigali winds down, Saboo is already looking
forward to the next one. With more Indian districts interested in
sending doctors and African districts interested in hosting them,
he expects the number of trips to increase, even if his own
attendance becomes less frequent.
Many mission participants, both first-timers and veterans,
say they plan to return, though it sometimes entails a significant
personal and professional sacrifice. Karvekar, whose own son
underwent heart surgery in India just days before he travelled to
Kigali, is one of them. “I’d wanted to go on one of these trips for a
while,” he said, noting that the mission was his longest absence
from his family’s private clinic, where he’s the only orthopaedic
surgeon on staff. “There were a lot of challenging cases, but
fortunately we were able to do them well and, I think, give the
patients a good result.”
“It is totally a labour of love,” added Saboo, speaking for
himself as well as the team of doctors. “When they come here,
there’s no compensation. They come purely because they want
to extend their services to humanity beyond their own borders.”
Jonathan W Rosen is a writer based in Kigali. He is a 2016
fellow of the Alicia Patterson Foundation.

August saw the celebration of National
Breastfeeding Week and Women’s Day in South
Africa. “It’s at this time of the year that we want
to encourage and remind all mothers to give their
babies the healthiest start to life by breastfeeding
exclusively for the first 200 days of their newborn
child’s life,” said Tom Bergmann-Harris, past
president of the Rotary Club of Claremont
(D9350).
“Breastmilk is the best food for babies. It has all
the essential nutrients in precisely the right quantities
and combinations. Breastmilk is fundamentally
important for every child’s health and growth. The
first 2 000 days are critical in child development and
exclusive breastfeeding is crucial during the first 200
days,” he continued.
Breastfeeding also has long-term health benefits
for children. Breastfed babies are less likely to
suffer from childhood respiratory tract infections,
gastrointestinal disease and heart disease. The
Lancet, a peer-reviewed general medical journal,
reported that breastfeeding reduces the incidence of
type 2 diabetes by as much as 35 percent and the
incidence of obesity by 13 percent.
Research has shown that breastfeeding mothers
have a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer
and some cardiovascular diseases. “On average,
these health benefits already save millions of lives
each year. However, there is room for improvement,”
said Ian Robertson, president of the Claremont club.
An increase in breastfeeding on a global level could
prevent 823 000 annual deaths in children younger
than five years and 20 000 deaths from breast cancer.
“Breastfeeding is a cornerstone for child survival,
nutrition, health and development,” said Robertson.
“It materially affects the long term earning and
educational potential of infants,” he continues.
The Breastfeeding Series, an evidence-based
report published this year in the Lancet, found that
breastfeeding is consistently associated with higher
performance in intelligence tests in children and
adolescents. This increase in intelligence quotient
(IQ) scores is linked to higher earnings throughout
adulthood.
Despite this, globally only 38 percent of infants
are breastfed exclusively. Women face multiple
challenges when it comes to breastfeeding.
These include insufficient maternity leave, lack of
knowledge, lack of support by government and
society and negative social pressures such as taboos
on breastfeeding in public. “We encourage mothers
to breastfeed exclusively for the first 200 days and
support our ECD mothers by educating them on
the benefits of breastfeeding while reducing the
stigmatism around breastfeeding in public” concluded
Robertson.
IT’S ALL ABOUT
THE BENEFITS

By Mohamed Tayub
Many Malawian school girls avoid going to school
or drop out completely once they reach puberty and
menstruation starts. A lot of girls drop out of school
as they can’t afford the expensive yet vital sanitary
products they need.
Those who don’t drop out often miss as many as five
days of school each month and this impacts on their
academic performance. Around the world, girls and
women who can’t afford sanitary pads or tampons use
rags, mattress stuffing, banana leaves, feathers and
even cow dung to try and manage their menstruation.
The introduction of reusable sanitary pads is a cheap
and easy solution to enable these girls to continue their
education and will help to promote open discussions
about menstruation.
To help adolescent girls continue their education,
the Rotary Club of Limbe (D9210) donated reusable
sanitary pads to Mlambe Hospital in Lunzu. These will
be distributed to girls in the area. The design ensures
the pads will only need to be replaced once every six
months. The club also donated iron syrup to Mlambe
hospital to help prevent anaemia during menstruation.
Rotarians presented a donation of reusable sanitary pads and iron syrup to officials from Mlambe Hospital.
Photo: David Paul
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projects

The 68th Meerhof School Kruger Park trip, organised
and hosted by the Rotary of Pretoria East (D9400),
was enjoyed by 24 children whose behaviour and
achievements throughout the year earned them the
coveted invitation to attend.
Thanks to the hard work and preparation by the
educators and staff of Meerhof School for the Physically
Disabled, Christine Mare and the new kid on the block,
Sonya van Wyk, the annual Kruger Park trip took place
without a hitch.
The group departed in the early hours of Sunday
morning 14 August. The drivers, including Rotarians
Allen Joss, Grant Adam and Aiden Robertson, and
the dedicated carers, set off in in a convoy of eight
vehicles. They stopped at the Grove Mall Wimpy in
Nelspruit for hamburgers, chips and cold drinks, which
was sponsored by the Wimpy management. The group
entered the Park via the Phabeni gate and arrived
in Skukuza, which served as the base camp, that
afternoon.
After breakfast on Monday morning, the learners
and their allocated dedicated carers set off to see the
historical sites and the James Stevenson Museum in
Skukuza, where they watched a presentation on the
formation and history of the park. They also visited the
Rhino Boma where orphans of poached rhino are kept
before being reintroduced to the bush. The rest of the
day was largely devoted to game viewing.
The learners were divided into eight teams and each
team was assigned a vehicle. They were tasked with
completing daily task sheets on interesting facts they
had learned and to describe the day’s highlights. They
also needed to complete a daily sightings list of animals
and birds. At supper each evening, a winning book for
the day was announced. The children worked hard to
prepare their assignment books before the trip.
Tuesday’s game viewing was extremely rewarding
when Rotarians Grant and Aiden and their teams, who
were driving in convoy, saw all of the big five before
meeting up with the rest of the group for lunch at
Tshokwane picnic spot.
Everyone, children, carers, the support team and
Rotarians alike, were assigned specific tasks during the
trip. These tasks included helping with the preparation
of the meals, cooking and braai duties and washing the
dishes after a meal.
After a shortened game drive on Thursday, the teams
stopped briefly at Skukuza International Airport and the
children were able to stand on the fringe of the runway
to witness the landing of several planes, including a
large double engine Airlink jet. Later, the group met at
the public swimming pool and picnic spot near Skukuza.
Each team, including the adults, received a song title
to perform in the concert on the Thursday evening.
68TH KRUGER PARK TRIP
The children, Rotarians and support team who enjoyed the trip to the Kruger National Park.

A new coffee machine was donated to the Cape
Town Society for the Blind’s (CTSB) Café 45 by the
Rotary Club of Newlands (D9350).
CTSB runs the coffee shop as part of its quest to
enhance the hospitality industry of the Mother City
through the niche skills of blind waitrons and baristas.
The donation will allow CTSB help students in the
hospitality industry to master their art at Café 45.
“Entrepreneurial development, the youth and early
childhood development, are among the main focus
areas of Rotary,” said DG Ian Pursch at the official
launch on behalf of Rotary Newlands.
The donation is an incentive for the students at Café
45 to improve and broaden their entrepreneurial skills.
Charlene van Niekerk, hospitality manager of CTSB,
said the aim of the establishment of the café was to
advance the skills of visually impaired persons in the
hospitality industry. It also served as a means to build
confidence and self-esteem by interacting with people
from all walks of life.
Café 45 hosts events known as ICore throughout the
year where people are served meals in total darkness
as part of CTSB’s drive to create eye-care awareness.
“Annually, 110 students are empowered with
entrepreneurial training skills for the private and public
sector,” said Lizelle van Wyk, chief executive officer of
the CTSB. “We have also pioneered a new programme
of disabled experienced professionals mentoring
students who are similarly impaired and with a similar
career-interest.”
Thulani Svelebal, Samantha Williams, DG Ian Pursch, Lizelle van Wyk and Umar Samuels with the new
coffee machine that was donated to Café 45.
CAFFEINE BOOST FOR CTSB
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The Rotary Club of Kenton On Sea (D9370) hosted
an entrepreneurship workshop that was conducted
by Socionext, a non-profit organisation based in the
Netherlands. The five-day programme proved to be
most informative.
After brainstorming a number of possible business
ideas, the twelve participants settled on three
options with sustainable opportunities. The ideas
were cultural catering, the production of leather
goods and establishing a swimming academy for the
disadvantaged. The participants were divided into three
groups and learned various business skills they would
need to establish their businesses.
The workshop was conducted by two highly
experienced and enthusiastic presenters and by the
end of the week, the groups were able to present their
business plans, ideas and initiatives for the way forward.
An interested party, Pierre Rousseau, offered to mentor
the participants during the early stages of establishing
their businesses.
Individually these participants gained not only in
business skills but left with improved personal skills.
One participant summed it up when he said: “I have
grown so much this week and am a better person
having experienced the workshop!”
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The Rotary Club of Rosebank (D9400) purchased
an etching press for two artists, Lebohang Sithole
and Jan Tshilhuthula, to use to supplement their
monthly income by conducting etching and lino
cutting workshops.
The two came to the club’s attention after they
borrowed a press and held successful workshops at
the Rotary Arts Festival at Hyde Park Corner. Visitors
were encouraged to prepare their own etching or lino
cut which was printed on site. These demonstrations
were enjoyed by participants of all ages.
As Lebohang and Jan’s monthly income is derived
from artwork sales, Joan Sainsbury (the curator of
the Rotary Arts Festival) and her Figures and Forms
group approached the Rosebank club about acquiring
a press. The club agreed and donated the press to
Figures and Forms which will assist Lebohang and Jan
to maximise their potential. Based on the huge interest
shown at the festival, Joan has devised a programme of
monthly workshops for Jan and Lebohang to present at
the Parkhurst Recreation Centre.
The Parkhurst Recreation Centre agreed to provide
a venue for the workshops and all funds generated from
the workshops will go to the artists.
Trainees at a workshop presented by Lebohang Sithole and Jan Tshilhuthula. Below: Jan Tshilhuthula
operating the press which was donated by the Rotary Club of Rosebank.
EQUIPPED TO
SUCCEED

In areas where poverty is rife, skills development,
entrepreneurship and safer transport can make a
big positive difference.
The Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN), which
operates in and around Cape Town, understands
this and set out to make a positive difference in the
communities in which it operates.
The BEN’s Bicycle Empowerment Centres (BEC)
are run by community members who have been trained
in bicycle repair and maintenance.
They receive tools and a supply of bicycles which
allows them to start their own community bicycle
workshops. “These bicycles will be distributed mainly
through the BECs in Mitchells Plain, Manenberg,
Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Montagu, Struisbaai,
Bredasdorp and Westlake,” said BEN fundraiser, Megan
Pringle. “Some of the bicycles will also be distributed
through BEN’s school bicycle projects, which sees ten
Western Cape Schools each receive ten bicycles.”
Every child who receives a bicycle is also trained in
bicycle safety.
This project will provide them with a safe means
of transport to school and will promote cycling as a
healthy and positive activity in areas that are plagued
by gangsterism, poverty and crime.
A donation from the Rotary Club of Claremont
(D9350) enabled 500 bicycles to be imported from the
United Kingdom and distributed through the BECs. “We
are incredibly thankful to the Rotary Club of Claremont
for its support. It allows us to carry out our work of
promoting safe and affordable, accessible mobility for
all walks of life,” concluded Pringle.
Smiles all round as a container with 500 bicycles from the United Kingdom arrives at the Bicycling
Empowerment Network (BEN)’s Muizenberg premises. They will be distributed in and around Mitchells
Plain, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Montagu, Struisbaai, Bredasdorp and Westlake.
500 BICYCLES FOR CAPE KIDS

For 27 years, the Rotarians and Anns of the Rotary
Clubs of Grahamstown and Grahamstown Sunset
(D9370) have run a kudu burger stall at the National
Arts Festival. The stall, which originated as a result
of supporting the Festival Village Green pilot project
in 1989, has become an annual fundraiser.
A portion of the proceeds raised are used to maintain
the stall’s equipment and the trailer used to transport it.
The remainder is divided between the Rotary clubs and
Anns to help fund their community projects.
The Rotarians and Anns volunteer their time over
two weekends in July to prepare boerewors rolls, a
‘breakfast bun’ and the ever-popular ‘full house’ (a
kudu burger with bacon and egg). Festival goers, which
include Rotarians from all over South Africa, return
annually to support the stall and readily admit that they
look forward to their Rotary kudu burger all year long.
This year, the stall raised more than R70 000.
Email us for a full presentation
031 7002123
info@evericed.co.za
candice@evericed.co.za
PORTABLE
SMART
DESK:
Functions as a school desk,
food tray & Water container
Easy whilecarryto walking
to and from school
Extensively tested,
thanmore 2 800
distributed to
rural schools in KZN,
SA and Tanzania
• Lightweight,
• 1.5
• Seals
• Brandable
lidcooldrink
anywith
capacity
waterlitre
practicalcolourful,
Tired yet satisfied, the last shift of Rotarians and Anns at the stall before the National Arts Festival ended.
The stall equipment is used at other fundraisers during the year.
BEST BURGERS EVER

Now Suzan has a home
TO BE
PROUD
OF

Youth
For 30 years, Suzan Okumu has spent 13 hours a day sweeping
and cleaning the streets of Kasese.
The backbreaking work, which also involves pushing a heavy
wheelbarrow for most of the day, pays poorly. In spite of the low pay,
poor housing, ever changing employment dynamics and payment
delays from contractors, her dedication to her job has not faltered.
Members of the Rotaract Club of Kasese (Uganda, D9211) heard of
Suzan and decided to visit her home. They found it dilapidated and that
her low income prevented her from maintaining a sanitary environment.
The Rotaractors launched a special “vocational award project” to help
Suzan renovate and improve her home. They also undertook to provide her
with clothing and to advocate for a pay rise.
The renovations included solar lighting, a new mattress and linen.
Funds were raised and some of the required goods were donated by well-
wishers. After her home had been renovated and painted, the Rotaractors
delivered the donated items to Suzan.
Opposite page: The presentation of the donated items. This page, from top: Suzan at work cleaning the
streets of Kasese. Suzan’s home before and after the renovations were completed. The members of the
Rotaract Club of Kasese.

Members of the Interact Club of Woodlands International College (D9400) visited the Elandsvallei Old Age
Home in Germiston. The youngsters enjoyed the time they spent chatting to the elderly residents and were
inspired by their wisdom.
President Sybil Maree, PP Jan Lens and Tubby Climpson of the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg Azalea
(D9370) with the club’s inbound and outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students.
Members of the Rotary Club
of Edenvale (D9400) recently
welcomed Karoline Schwarzer
(second from right), a long-
term Rotary Youth Exchange
student from Germany, to its
community. With her are Terry
Cannon and her host parents,
Jenny and Dennis Droppa.

The Rotary Club of Edenvale (D9400) chartered the Interact Club of Dowerglen High School and Daisy
Kahwenga was inducted as president.
Adrian Bacon (second from left), a short-term Rotary Youth Exchange Student, was hosted by the Rotary
Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400) and thoroughly enjoyed his visit to South Africa. Highlights included visits
to the Drakensberg, Sun City and the Lion Park. With him are his host brother, Devan Erasmus (who, earlier
this year, was hosted by Adrian and his family), Boksburg High School Interactors Louise Simpson and
Svenia Moses and the president of the Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake, Nicky Savvides.
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The Rotary Club of Boksburg Lake (D9400) visited
Boksburg SPCA to deliver a donation of dog and
cat food for the animals. President Nicky Savvides
(left) and the SPCA’s Scarlet De Haast with one of
the cute puppies.
The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) donated R25 000 to the Polokwane Child Welfare Society.
Over the course of the past 13 years, PP Dave
Hampton (second from left) of the Rotary Club of
Scottburgh (D9370) has facilitated the donation of
700 wheelchairs – an average of one donation a
week. The latest donation went to 77-year-old Eddie
Wilson. At the handover are PP Eugene Tupholme,
Eddie Wilson, President Cherry Biden and Jenny
Laight.

Chartered in March 2016, the Rotary Club of Libreville Sud is the eighth Rotary club to be chartered in
Libreville (D9150, Gabon). The new club chose to serve humanity by assisting Owendo’s community health
centre. Last year, the centre treated more than 11 000 people and had received equipment to create a
maternity unit to support about 120 women a month. However, the unit was unable to operate as it did not
have a functional waste water system or sluice. Led by its president, Patrick Mennesson, the Libreville Sud
Rotarians donated a sluice and newborn care kits to Dr Alexander Onkouni and Alain Rotimbo, the Deputy
Director General of Health. PDG Martin Balwisha Nyongo also attended the presentation.
Ashack fire not only cost a family its home but
robbed a disabled five-year-old girl, Thando,
of her independence. The fire destroyed the
young girl’s wheelchair and her grandmother,
Innocentia, was forced to carry Thando on her
back. The Rotary Club of Edenvale (D9400)
obtained a wheelchair through the Rotary
Club of Northcliff’s wheelchair programme
and gave it to Thando. With Thando and her
grandmother is President Garth Trumble.
Roundup

The Rotary Club of Paarl won the award for the
best community service stand at the District 9350
Conference in Stellenbosch. The stand showcased
the club’s Edubox project, which is a collection of
developmental toys. These boxes are donated to
nursery and pre-primary schools. Past President
Deon Erasmus (second left) chatting to interested
Rotarians about Edubox.
The Rotary Club of Nigel (D9400) has embarked
on a maths incentive scheme for learners at high
schools in the town. Learners from Grade 9 to 12
participated in the programme which recognised
the top achieving maths learners. The programme
encourages the study of maths by recognising the
most improved learner and a runner-up from Grades
9 to 11 at each of the schools. The Grade 12 maths
learners compete for the prestigious award of top
student. President Maurizio Pellizzon presents a
framed directive to Nigel High School principal,
Gwenlyn Lesaba.
Members of the Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) donated 40 trauma bags to the Polokwane Victim
Support Centre. The bags contained personal and basic toiletries for rape victims. The bags are made
by an unemployed woman who lives in Chwene. The club buys the bags from the woman and fills them
with toiletries. At the presentation are PP Charles Hardy, Mohle Ramoshaba (support centre deputy
chairperson), PP Sandy Rawlings, Regina Mailule (project manager), Maphuti Ledwaba (social worker)
and PP Mxolisi Bambo.

The Rotary Club of Durban Clairwood Park (D9370) has partnered with JAM KZN. JAM supports early
childhood development in vulnerable communities by providing nutritional porridge to babies and children
aged up to six years. The organisation currently feeds more than 30 000 children five days a week. They will
feed young children at Silindokuhle Educare Centre in Cato Manor, Durban.
The Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea
(D9370) used a District Grant to
provide seven pre-schools with
jumbo crayons, chubby pencils,
sharpeners and safety scissors.
The Rotarians held a work party
to cover 180 tins (one for each
child) in colourful plastic and fill
them with crayons. The pencils
and scissors were packed into
ice cream tubs and delivered
with the crayons. The need for
stationery at the pre-schools
was identified during a monthly
meeting between the club’s
Youth Services subcommittee
and staff from pre-schools in the
area.

Faye Goedhals, a Rotary Ann from the Rotary
Club of Beacon Bay (D9370), was among the
Rotarians and Anns who provided breakfast and
other refreshments at the Nippers Surf Lifesaving
Championships in East London.
A mountain bike fun ride that was held by the Rotary
Club of Empangeni (D9370) raised funds for the
club’s community projects. Skumbuso Mthembu
was one of the 128 cyclists who participated in the
event.
Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Pietersburg 100 (D9400) assisted at the Our Home Fete. The club has
been involved at Our Home for many years and this year a total of R180 000 was raised to assist with its
various needs.

The Rotary Club of Kloof’s (D9370) Festival in the Hills has grown from strength to strength and this year,
it featured 38 cultural workshops, a variety of events on the main fields and a craft market. The highlight
of the day was the Big Bright Beautiful World, a music production by Bernard Kruger that featured the
Drakensberg Boys Choir and a 700-strong choir drawn from 16 KwaZulu-Natal schools. The show received
a standing ovation.
After a successful Doggy Dawdle last year, the Rotary Club of Dundee (D9370) decided to make the event
an annual one. This year, 25 dogs and their humans enjoyed the three kilometre walk at Uelzen Primary
School. The Dundee SPCA helped run the event and the club donated a portion of the proceeds to the
SPCA. An entry fee for R100 per dog and walker was charged and prizes were awarded in a number of
categories such as first home, last entry, largest dog and smallest dog. The SPCA provided coffee, tea and
muffins in exchange for donations.

The Rotary Club of Kimberley South (D9370) was visited by
DG Bruce Steele-Gray and his wife, Pippa. The club took the
couple on a project visit to Lesedi Daycare Centre where DG
Bruce enjoyed meeting the children.
DG Bruce Steele-Gray visited the Rotary
Club of Hilton and Howick (D9370). With him
is President Janice Shipway.
DG Grant Daly (back middle) and DGA Nadine (front left) paid a visit to the Rotary Clubs of Polokwane and
Pietersburg 100 (D9400). With them are (back) President Pieter Vermeulen (Pietersburg 100), AG Maurice
Stander, (front) DGPR Chrisna Stander and President Jerry Malahlela (Polokwane).

The Rotary E-Club of Southern Africa D9400 was visited by DG Grant Daly in August. The club members
are passionate and loyal Rotarians, who have chartered seven Rotaract clubs and participated in the RYLA
programme and will soon join the long-term youth exchange programme. Since its inception two and a
half years ago, it has received various awards and has increased its membership from 28 to 52. The club
intends to have 200 members by 2020.
AG John Wesson, PP
Alice Meyer, DG Grant
Daly, President Estelle
van der Westhuizen
with Debbie and Glen
Ross during the DG’s
visit to the Rotary Club
of Hartbeespoort-Brits
(D9400).
In August, the Rotary Club of
Empangeni (D9370) held an
Olympic-themed social evening.
Members of the Rotary Club of
Richards Bay also attended and
guests were divided into five
teams to participate in fun events.
President Glynn Harborth and
Rusty Barnes competing in the
golf ball dribble.
The Rotary Club of Klerksdorp visited the Rotary Club of Viljoenskroon
(D9370) for an evening of fun and fellowship.

The Rotary Club of Francistown (D9400) said farewell to a stalwart member, Ron Stanley Fish (seated
centre), at a dinner in August. A banker by profession, Ron joined the club in December 1999 and has
served more than once as president. He particularly enjoyed establishing programmes for young children,
especially a sport and snack programme for the Monarch community. He also ensured that the project
venue became lively and conducive for feeding young children. This programme has been run for 17 years
by the Rotary Club of Francistown and will continue to do so even after Ron returns to his homeland,
England.
The Rotary Club of Estcourt (D9370) celebrated 50 years of service to its community.

The Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg (D9370) recently treated 54 Grade 7 learners from Thornville Primary
School to an outing to the KwaZulu-Natal Museum. After the visit, the learners were asked to write an essay
on their experience and six were awarded prizes of illustrated dictionaries for their efforts. On making the
presentations President Moosa Allee reminded the learners that a good English vocabulary would stand
them in good stead once they begin high school. At the prize giving ceremony are (back row) Bheki Dladla
(educator), President Moosa Allee, Kirthi Bridgemohan (educator) and (front row) Luthando Sitole, Fezeka
Mthanti, Kwanda Zuma, Lulama Tshabalala, Nobuhle Mathwebula and Makhoba Unathi. Photo: Jason
Londt.
The Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea (D9370) held its annual Seniors’ Tea at the Peter Bennett Centre. Despite
poor weather conditions, the guests enjoyed a spread of tea time treats before being entertained by the
Interact Club of iKhamvalesizwe Combined School. The afternoon ended in excitement as guests were
asked to turn over their side plates to see if there was either a pink or green sticker underneath. Those
lucky folk with stickers went home with a flower arrangement or a box of chocolates.

OUR NEW CLUB PRESIDENTS
Molly Smit
Breede River Winelands
D9350
Glynn Harborth
Empangeni
D9370
Roger Russell
Bulawayo South
D9210
John Brown Ncube
Plumtree
D9210
Tony Robson
Durbanville
D9350
Sydney Chetty
Isipingo-Morningside
D9370
Mike Vink
Johannesburg New Dawn
D9400
Pieter Vermeulen
Pietersburg 100
D9400
David Holtzhausen,
Bellville
D9350
Patrick (Hutch) Hutchison.
East London
D9370
Glenn Botha
Johannesburg South 101
D9400
Giovanni Theunissen
Bellville (Rotaract)
D9350
celebrate

WELCOMED AND HONOURED
NEW MEMBERS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
recognised
Stefaan Olivier is a new
member of the Rotary Club
of Polokwane (D9400).
The Rotary Club of Polokwane (D9400) held its awards evening in February and
presented 16 community and vocational service awards to members of its community.
With the awardees is President Avril Meuller.
Ruan van Heerden
is a new member of
the Rotary E-Club of
Southern Africa D9400.
Tom Theunissen is a new
of Bellville (D9350).
Crystal Meyers is a new
of Johannesburg South
101 (D9400).
Lynda Milligan Van Eeden
is a new member of the
Rotary Club of Boksburg
Lake (D9400).
Elana Theunissen is a new
of Bellville (D9350).
Tagmida Kader is a new
of Vanderbijlpark (D9400).
R600 a night. Contact: peteandme@mweb.co.za or 021 786 3331
Off-peak season special: stay for 7 nights and pay for 6.

WELCOMED AND HONOUREDNEW MEMBERS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
Herman Steyn of the
Rotary Club of Vereeniging
(D9400) received the
floating trophy for being
the member who best
applied The Four-Way-Test
to his personal, business
and Rotary life.
Jack Holloway (left) is a new member of the Rotary
Club of Polokwane (D9400). Welcoming him to the club
are President Jerry Malahlela and PP Rob Williamson
(sponsor).
Dave Coutts received a
Rotary Avenues of Service
award from the Rotary
Club of Beacon Bay
(D9370).
PP Eugene Tupholme
with the Rotary Club of
Scottburgh’s (D9370)
2015/16 Gold Presidential
Citation. The club was one
of the few in its district to
receive this recognition.
Gclebekile Dlamini is a
new member of the Rotary
Club of Port Elizabeth
(D9370).
Ismail Kader is a new
of Vanderbijlpark (D9400).
Francois Van Eeden is a
new member of the Rotary
Club of Boksburg Lake
(D9400).
HAVE YOU WELCOMED OR HONOURED SOMEONE?
Email their photos and captions to rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
Photos must be at least 1MB in size. Please make sure first and surnames are supplied. Preference is given to
individual “head and shoulders” photos. Photos of more than one person will be used at the editor’s discretion.

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DISCLAIMER: All opinions published are
not the opinion of the publisher. The publisher
is not responsible for the accuracy of any of
the opinions, information or advertisements in
this publication. No responsibility is accepted
for the quality of advertised goods or services
or the accuracy of material submitted for
reproduction. To the extent permitted by law,
the publishers, their employees, agents and
contractors exclude all liability to any person
for any loss, damage, cost or expense
incurred as a result of material in this
publication. All Rotary Marks (Masterbrand
Signature, Mark of Excellence and so forth),
as well as ROTARY are trademarks owned
by Rotary International and used herein
under licence.
Email
rotaryafrica@mweb.co.za
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Rotary Africa October 2016

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